2021 Volume 2021 Issue 8 Pages 165-171
The Great East Japan Earthquake severely disrupted horticultural production in the Tohoku Pacific Ocean coastal region of Japan. In this paper, we describe reconstruction support for strawberry production in Miyagi Prefecture that was damaged by the disaster. We have been involved in supporting horticultural reconstruction efforts in this region since the earthquake struck in 2011. The Japanese government began a research project in 2012 to support reconstruction of the affected agricultural area (“A Scheme to Revitalize Agriculture and Fisheries in Disaster Areas through Deploying Highly Advanced Technology”). The horticultural research station for the project, located in Yamamoto Town (Miyagi Prefecture), is a Venlo-type greenhouse 7200 m2 in area. Yamamoto Town and nearby Watari Town together comprise a major strawberry-producing region. Technical support for reconstructing the strawberry greenhouse facilities was therefore a high priority of the research project. Since the inception of the project, we have provided technical information to growers and the local extension service, and we have worked with them to solve technical problems. Due to the amount of salt accumulated in the soil after it was flooded by the tsunami that followed the earthquake, we determined that an elevated growing-bed system was the best option for restarting strawberry production. We designed and proposed an elevated growing-bed system consisting of individual growing containers and a crown-temperature control system. Our aim was to help prevent the spread of soil-borne plant diseases that tend to occur in long beds. Separate containers also provide the drainage needed to keep the root zone (air and water contents) optimal for growing strawberries. The crown-temperature control system, established by the National Agriculture Research Organization (NARO), was added to increase yield and reduce heating costs. Large-scale, multi-span greenhouses were constructed by the local government (total 152 growers, 41 ha) and the first strawberry cultivation restarted in September 2013. In the research station greenhouse, we have been continuously demonstrating and developing new technologies and providing information to strawberry growers.
